scholarly journals Detectability of exomoons by examining the signals from a model of transiting exoplanets with moons

2021 ◽  
Vol 2145 (1) ◽  
pp. 012009
Author(s):  
P Cherdwongsung ◽  
S Awiphan ◽  
P Kittara ◽  
K Matan ◽  
N Nakharutai

Abstract Exomoons are natural satellites of exoplanets. Nowadays, none has been confirmed. However, a number of detection techniques have been proposed, including Transit Timing Variations (TTV) and Transit Duration Variations (TDV) techniques. From a recent study, fitting observed transit with the traditional photocentric fitting model shows unique features around the primary and secondary exomoon transits in TDV and transit depth signals, which might reduce the detectability. The aim of this work is to retrieve the variation of TTV, TDV and transit depth signals of exomoon systems with the photocentric fitting model. One year star-planet-moon transit light curves are simulated with LUNA algorithm and fit with TransitFit. The results show that neglecting the TDV and transit depth data with phase around exomoon’s primary and secondary transits improve the exomoon detectability by a factor of ten and the systems with large moon orbital semi-major axis with nearly edge-on orbit around low mass stars can be detected.

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bolmont ◽  
F. Gallet ◽  
S. Mathis ◽  
C. Charbonnel ◽  
L. Amard

Since 1995, numerous close-in planets have been discovered around low-mass stars (M to A-type stars). These systems are susceptible to be tidally evolving, in particular the dissipation of the kinetic energy of tidal flows in the host star may modify its rotational evolution and also shape the orbital architecture of the surrounding planetary system. Recent theoretical studies have shown that the amplitude of the stellar dissipation can vary over several orders of magnitude as the star evolves, and that it also depends on the stellar mass and rotation. We present here one of the first studies of the dynamics of close-in planets orbiting low-mass stars (from 0.6 M☉ to 1.2 M☉) where we compute the simultaneous evolution of the star’s structure, rotation and tidal dissipation in its external convective envelope. We demonstrate that tidal friction due to the stellar dynamical tide, i.e. tidal inertial waves (their restoring force is the Coriolis acceleration) excited in the convection zone, can be larger by several orders of magnitude than the one of the equilibrium tide currently used in celestial mechanics. This is particularly true during the Pre Main Sequence (PMS) phase and to a lesser extent during the Sub Giant (SG) phase. Numerical simulations show that only the high dissipation occurring during the PMS phase has a visible effect on the semi-major axis of close-in planets. We also investigate the effect of the metallicity of the star on the tidal evolution of planets. We find that the higher the metallicity of the star, the higher the dissipation and the larger the tidally-induced migration of the planet.


2019 ◽  
Vol 624 ◽  
pp. A123 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Perger ◽  
G. Scandariato ◽  
I. Ribas ◽  
J. C. Morales ◽  
L. Affer ◽  
...  

Context. Small planets around low-mass stars often show orbital periods in a range that corresponds to the temperate zones of their host stars which are therefore of prime interest for planet searches. Surface phenomena such as spots and faculae create periodic signals in radial velocities and in observational activity tracers in the same range, so they can mimic or hide true planetary signals. Aims. We aim to detect Doppler signals corresponding to planetary companions, determine their most probable orbital configurations, and understand the stellar activity and its impact on different datasets. Methods. We analyzed 22 yr of data of the M1.5 V-type star Gl 49 (BD+61 195) including HARPS-N and CARMENES spectrographs, complemented by APT2 and SNO photometry. Activity indices are calculated from the observed spectra, and all datasets are analyzed with periodograms and noise models. We investigated how the variation of stellar activity imprints on our datasets. We further tested the origin of the signals and investigate phase shifts between the different sets. To search for the best-fit model we maximize the likelihood function in a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. Results. As a result of this study, we are able to detect the super-Earth Gl 49b with a minimum mass of 5.6 M⊕. It orbits its host star with a period of 13.85 d at a semi-major axis of 0.090 au and we calculate an equilibrium temperature of 350 K and a transit probability of 2.0%. The contribution from the spot-dominated host star to the different datasets is complex, and includes signals from the stellar rotation at 18.86 d, evolutionary timescales of activity phenomena at 40–80 d, and a long-term variation of at least four years.


2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Baumann ◽  
Bertram Bitsch

Low-mass planets that are in the process of growing larger within protoplanetary disks exchange torques with the disk and change their semi-major axis accordingly. This process is called type I migration and is strongly dependent on the underlying disk structure. As a result, there are many uncertainties about planetary migration in general. In a number of simulations, the current type I migration rates lead to planets reaching the inner edge of the disk within the disk lifetime. A new kind of torque exchange between planet and disk, the thermal torque, aims to slow down inward migration via the heating torque. The heating torque may even cause planets to migrate outwards, if the planetary luminosity is large enough. Here, we study the influence on planetary migration of the thermal torque on top of previous type I models. We find that the formula of Paardekooper et al. (2011, MNRAS, 410, 293) allows for more outward migration than that of Jiménez & Masset (2017, MNRAS, 471, 4917) in most configurations, but we also find that planets evolve to very similar mass and final orbital radius using both formulae in a single planet-formation scenario, including pebble and gas accretion. Adding the thermal torque can introduce new, but small, regions of outwards migration if the accretion rates onto the planet correspond to typical solid accretion rates following the pebble accretion scenario. If the accretion rates onto the planets become very large, as could be the case in environments with large pebble fluxes (e.g., high-metallicity environments), the thermal torque can allow more efficient outward migration. However, even then, the changes for the final mass and orbital positions in our planet formation scenario are quite small. This implies that for single planet evolution scenarios, the influence of the heating torque is probably negligible.


2003 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 249-256
Author(s):  
Laird M. Close ◽  
Nick Siegler ◽  
Melanie Freed

Use of the highly sensitive Hōkūpa'a/Gemini curvature wave-front sensor has allowed for the first time direct adaptive optics (AO) guiding on very low mass (VLM) stars with SpT=M8.0–L0.5. A survey of 39 such objects detected 9 VLM binaries (7 of which were discovered for the first time to be binaries). Most of these systems (55%) are tight (separation < 5 AU) and have similar masses (ΔKs < 0.8 mag; 0.85 < q < 1.0). However, 2 systems (LHS 2397a, and 2M2331016-040618) have large ΔKs > 2.38 mag and consist of a VLM star orbited by a much cooler L6.5–L8.5 brown dwarf companion. Based on our initial flux limited (Ks < 12 mag) survey of 39 M8.0–L0.5 stars (mainly from the sample of Gizis et al. 2000) we find a binary fraction in the range 19±7% for M8.0–L0.5 binaries with separations > 2.6 AU. This is slightly less than the 32 ± 9% measured for more massive (M0–M4) stars over the same separation range (Fischer & Marcy 1992). It appears M8.0–L0.5 binaries (as well as L and T dwarf binaries) have a much smaller semi-major axis distribution peak (~ 4 AU) compared to more massive M and G stars which have a broad peak at larger ~ 30 AU separations. We also find no VLM binaries (Mtot < 0.18M⊙) with separations > 20 AU. We find that a velocity “kick” of ~ 3 km/s can reproduce the observed cut-off in the semi-major axis distribution at ˜ 20 AU. This kick may have been from the VLM system being ejected from its formation mini-cluster.


2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A46
Author(s):  
J. Hartke ◽  
M. Arnaboldi ◽  
O. Gerhard ◽  
L. Coccato ◽  
C. Pulsoni ◽  
...  

Context. M 105 (NGC 3379) is an early-type galaxy in the Leo I group. The Leo I group is the nearest group that contains all main galaxy types and can thus be used as a benchmark to study the properties of the intra-group light (IGL) in low-mass groups. Aims. We present a photometric survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the extended halo of the galaxy to characterise its PN populations and investigate the presence of an extended PN population associated with the intra-group light. Methods. We use PNe as discrete stellar tracers of the diffuse light around M 105. These PNe were identified on the basis of their bright [O III]5007 Å emission and the absence of a broad-band continuum using automated detection techniques. We compare the PN number density profile with the galaxy surface-brightness profile decomposed into metallicity components using published photometry of the Hubble Space Telescope in two halo fields. Results. We identify 226 PNe candidates within a limiting magnitude of m5007, lim = 28.1 from our Subaru-SuprimeCam imaging, covering 67.6 kpc (23 effective radii) along the major axis of M 105 and the halos of NGC 3384 and NGC 3398. We find an excess of PNe at large radii compared to the stellar surface brightness profile from broad-band surveys. This excess is related to a variation in the luminosity-specific PN number α with radius. The α-parameter value of the extended halo is more than seven times higher than that of the inner halo. We also measure an increase in the slope of the PN luminosity function at fainter magnitudes with radius. Conclusions. We infer that the radial variation of the PN population properties is due to a diffuse population of metal-poor stars ([M/H] < −1.0) following an exponential profile, in addition to the M 105 halo. The spatial coincidence between the number density profile of these metal-poor stars and the increase in the α-parameter value with radius establishes the missing link between metallicity and the post-asymptotic giant branch phases of stellar evolution. We estimate that the total bolometric luminosity associated with the exponential IGL population is 2.04 × 109 L⊙ as a lower limit. The lower limit on the IGL fraction is thus 3.8%. This work sets the stage for kinematic studies of the IGL in low-mass groups.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S240) ◽  
pp. 628-630
Author(s):  
J.C. Morales ◽  
I. Ribas ◽  
C. Jordi ◽  
G. Torres ◽  
E.F. Guinan ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this work we have studied CM Draconis, one of the least massive eclipsing binaries known. Its components are very similar, with masses and radii of about 0.23 M⊙ and 0.25 R⊙. We have analysed light curves in the R and I bands to calculate the fundamental properties of this system with accuracies better than 1%. With these results we plan to carry out a thorough test of the models, which have been found to predict smaller radii and larger effective temperatures than observed for these low-mass stars. This will also be especially interesting in the case of CM Dra since the mechanism driving magnetic activity is thought to be different from that of more massive stars. In addition, the extended time-span of the observations has led to the detection of apsidal motion. This provides a further check on models through the determination of the internal structure of the stars.


1996 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 383-383
Author(s):  
Frederic A. Rasio ◽  
Douglas C. Heggie

Low-mass binary millisecond pulsars are born with very small orbital eccentricities, typically of order ei ∼ 10−6−10−3. In globular clusters, however, higher eccentricities ef ≫ ei can be induced by dynamical interactions with passing stars. Using both analytical perturbation calculations and numerical integrations, we have shown (Heggie & Rasio 1996) that the cross section for this process is much larger than previously estimated. This is because, even for initially circular binaries, the induced eccentricity ef for an encounter with pericentre separation rp beyond a few times the binary semi-major axis a declines only as a power-law, ef ∝ (rp/a)−5/2, and not as an exponential. We find that all currently known low-mass binary millisecond pulsars in globular clusters must have been affected by interactions, with their current eccentricities being at least an order of magnitude larger than at birth (Rasio & Heggie 1995).


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S249) ◽  
pp. 331-346
Author(s):  
Frédéric S. Masset

AbstractTides come from the fact that different parts of a system do not fall in exactly the same way in a non-uniform gravity field. In the case of a protoplanetary disk perturbed by an orbiting, prograde protoplanet, the protoplanet tides raise a wake in the disk which causes the orbital elements of the planet to change over time. The most spectacular result of this process is a change in the protoplanet's semi-major axis, which can decrease by orders of magnitude on timescales shorter than the disk lifetime. This drift in the semi-major axis is called planetary migration. In a first part, we describe how the planet and disk exchange angular momentum and energy at the Lindblad and corotation resonances. Next we review the various types of planetary migration that have so far been contemplated: type I migration, which corresponds to low-mass planets (less than a few Earth masses) triggering a linear disk response; type II migration, which corresponds to massive planets (typically at least one Jupiter mass) that open up a gap in the disk; “runaway” or type III migration, which corresponds to sub-giant planets that orbit in massive disks; and stochastic or diffusive migration, which is the migration mode of low- or intermediate-mass planets embedded in turbulent disks. Lastly, we present some recent results in the field of planetary migration.


Author(s):  
F La Barbera ◽  
A Vazdekis ◽  
I Ferreras ◽  
A Pasquali

Abstract Using new, homogeneous, long-slit spectroscopy in the wavelength range from ∼0.35 to $\sim 1 \, \mu$m, we study radial gradients of optical and near-infrared (NIR) IMF-sensitive features along the major axis of the bulge of M31, out to a galactocentric distance of ∼200 arcsec (∼800 pc). Based on state-of-the-art stellar population synthesis models with varying Na abundance ratio, we fit a number of spectral indices, from different chemical species (including TiO’s, Ca, and Na indices), to constrain the low-mass (≲ 0.5 M⊙) end slope (i.e. the fraction of low-mass stars) of the stellar IMF, as a function of galactocentric distance. Outside a radial distance of ∼10”, we infer an IMF similar to a Milky-Way-like distribution, while at small galactocentric distances, an IMF radial gradient is detected, with a mildly bottom-heavy IMF in the few inner arcsec. We are able to fit Na features (both NaD and $\rm NaI8190$), without requiring extremely high Na abundance ratios. $\rm [Na/Fe]$ is ∼0.4 dex for most of the bulge, rising up to ∼0.6 dex in the innermost radial bins. Our results imply an overall, luminosity-weighted, IMF and mass-to-light ratio for the M31 bulge, consistent with those for a Milky-Way-like distribution, in contrast to results obtained, in general, for most massive early-type galaxies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (3) ◽  
pp. 4540-4546
Author(s):  
Erez Michaely ◽  
Michael M Shara

ABSTRACT Multiple star systems interact strongly with galactic field stars when the outer semi-major axis of a triple or multiple star is &gt;103 AU. Stable triples composed of two white-dwarfs (WD) and a low-mass main sequence (MS) star in a wide outer orbit can thus be destabilized by gravitational interactions with random field stars. Such interactions excite the eccentricity of the distant third star sufficiently so that it begins to interact significantly with the inner binary. When this occurs, the triple undergoes multiple binary-single resonant encounters. These encounters may result either in a collision between the non-degenerate component and a WD, or the breakup of the triple into a compact binary and a third object which is ejected. The compact binary can be either a MS–WD pair which survives, or collides or a double WD (DWD), which may inspiral through gravitational wave emission. We calculate the collision rate between a MS and WD star, and the merger rate of DWDs. Additionally, we describe the prospects of detectability of such a collision, which may resemble a sub-luminous supernovae event.


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